HOKAGE MOUNTAIN PEAK — NIGHT
The wind blows steadily at the heights. Jin-Woo stands atop the carved face of Hashirama Senju, his black cloak fluttering behind him like a mantle without a master. His eyes glow with a faint reflection of absolute power.
Around him, Kaisel in his majestic dragon form, and Beru kneeling, says:
BERU:
— My lord... there is movement in the Land of Earth, Water, and Cloud.
— They are spreading messages. Lies.
— Calling for immediate action against you.
KAISSEL (whisper-like):
— The sky of this world is deeper than it seems...
— Unusual sources of energy...
Jin-Woo closes his eyes for a moment.
The system has completed the conversion. 100% of mana is now chakra. The source is infinite. An endless sea. In this world... he is a silent god.
But he does not act like one.
JIN-WOO (thought):
"This world... is so different. Even the sky shines in a strange way. As if it's alive."
He looks to the horizon. The stars seem to pulse. But that doesn't matter now. What matters is the masked man.
Tobi's shadow. The enigma of return. The only bridge between two worlds.
JIN-WOO (low voice):
— This isn't just dimensional travel.
— There's more... maybe something about rulers or who knows what in this world. Maybe something beyond reality itself.
BERU (behind him, bowing slightly):
— My king... why don't we put an end to all this?
— We could conquer this world in days.
— Wipe out every village.
— Find answers with our own hands.
Silence.
Jin-Woo doesn't respond immediately. He observes the village from afar. Lights on. Children playing in the streets. Night vendors. Shouts of happiness, of life.
FLASH: Naruto smiling. Jiraiya talking about "protecting what matters."
FLASH: Gaara, saved. The people of Suna celebrating.
FLASH: Children running in a training field. A girl falls, laughs, stands up.
JIN-WOO (low):
— No.
BERU:
— But, my lord...
JIN-WOO (firm gaze):
— They chose this world.
— They decided to protect it.
— And... maybe, for now, I can't bring myself to care that much. After all, nothing here can harm me!
BERU (receding, reverent):
— As you wish, my king.
JIN-WOO (staring into the void):
— Akatsuki is moving.
— That means the masked man will appear soon.
— Let's see... how the game unfolds.
FLASHBACK — A FEW DAYS EARLIER
KONOHA — HOKAGE'S OFFICE
Days before the confrontation between Jin-Woo and Danzō, Tsunade, already suspicious of Akatsuki's increasing activity and tensions between villages, sends Team Gai, along with Shikamaru, Ino, and Chōji, on a secret reconnaissance mission of diplomatic and military nature.
TSUNADE (serious):
— Gai. I need you to head north, crossing the borders of the Land of Lightning and Thunder. — Whispers indicate the other villages are forming silent alliances... but not against Akatsuki.
— Against us.
GAI (very serious):
— If they want to test the youth of Konoha, then they will witness its silent fury!
TSUNADE:
— This isn't a combat mission.
— It's surveillance. If the suspicions are true... Konoha will be surrounded before it even notices.
— And now, with Jin-Woo among us, they may see him as a threat.
The group departs. Along the way, they intercept secret missives, overhear patrol conversations from Kumo and Iwa, and face mercenaries hired to spy on the Leaf.
MERCENARY (captured, bleeding):
— They're saying the Leaf hides a... man from another world of shadows.
— If the villages don't unite... he might swallow them all.
PRESENT
KONOHA — HOKAGE'S OFFICE
TSUNADE:
— Danzō crossed a point of no return.
— If not for Jin-Woo... we'd be discussing corpses now.
JIRAIYA:
— The Root has been dismantled. The people's trust is shaken.
— But there's a chance here. A chance to rebuild the ninja system without ghosts from the past.
TSUNADE:
— We can't allow another Danzō to exist.
— He will be judged as a criminal, not as a hero.
— Even if it causes noise behind the scenes.
An ANBU enters urgently and bows.
ANBU:
— Lady Hokage, urgent message.
— The Kages of the other nations are calling an emergency meeting.
— Tomorrow. Land of Iron. Single topic: "The man from another world."
JIRAIYA (frowns):
— So it begins.
TSUNADE (grave tone):
— How... did they call him?
ANBU (hesitates, then replies):
— "The man from another world of Konoha."
KONOHA STREETS — NIGHT
The streets are too calm.
Naruto walks beside Sakura, hands behind his head, eyes lost in the sky.
SAKURA:
— I think of him... Sasuke.
— With all this going on... I still think.
NARUTO (honest):
— Every day.
— Even with Jin-Woo, Danzō, Akatsuki...
— I still feel bringing him back is right.
SAKURA (sad smile):
— If he knew what Danzō did... maybe he'd see that the village makes mistakes too.
— But it can change.
Rushed footsteps behind. Naruto turns, alert — until recognizing the faces:
Shikamaru, Chōji, Ino, Lee, Neji, and Tenten appear around the corner. Sweaty. Fresh from the mission.
INO:
— There you are!
CHŌJI:
— The village feels way too weird. What happened?
NEJI (attentive eyes):
— Patrols have doubled. We heard rumors on the way...
TENTEN (serious):
— Looks like the man from another world caused serious damage...
— A massacre in the forest. And... Danzō?
NARUTO (confirming):
— All of that happened.
SAKURA (frowns):
— Danzō had Sharingans on his arm.
— It wasn't just influence... it was obsession.
— That changes everything.
INO (shocked):
— He... used stolen eyes?
NEJI:
— That's monstrous.
SAKURA:
— He's imprisoned. Root has been dissolved. But the village is wounded.
NARUTO (states):
— The man from another world, as you call him, his real name is Jin-Woo.
— He's not the enemy.
NEJI:
— But that's not how the ninja world sees him!
LEE (clenched fist):
— If we must fight... it will be for justice!
— The power of youth still flows in me, just like Gai-sensei!
SAKURA:
— Speaking of which... where is he?
TENTEN:
— He went to deliver the mission report to Lady Hokage!
INTERIOR — HOKAGE TOWER, TSUNADE'S OFFICE — LATE NIGHT
Gai stands before Tsunade's desk. No smiles today.
TSUNADE (narrowing eyes):
— Speak, Gai. What did you see?
GAI (rigid posture, grave tone):
— We traveled through three regions. Passed by abandoned watch points, supply caravans heading east, and hidden messages between minor fiefdoms.
He throws a scroll onto the desk — covered in seals bearing the Lightning Country's emblem.
GAI:
— Kumo is reinforcing outposts on the routes leading to the Land of Iron.
— And it's not out of fear of Akatsuki.
— It's because of the man of shadows. The man from another world.
— There are reports of joint movements between Iwa and Kumo. Kiri is also uneasy, with troops on constant alert.
— This came from one of our contacts in a mercenary village.
— A rogue ninja from Amegakure said: "The next war won't be for the Bijū. It'll be for him."
JIRAIYA (head down, serious):
— They don't see him as an ally...
— They see him as a weapon the Leaf intends to use.
TSUNADE (closes eyes for a moment):
— Idiots...
She slowly stands, picks up the scroll, and analyzes it in silence.
TSUNADE (resolute):
— Tomorrow's meeting in the Land of Iron... it's not diplomacy.
— It's a disguised ambush.
— They'll want to surround us politically. Maybe even test our reactions.
She walks to the window. The village view glows under the rain.
TSUNADE (without turning):
— Gai, you did the right thing.
— But tomorrow... we go with clenched fists.
— If they try to pressure us... they'll remember why Konoha is the Village of Fire.